JC Penney

Department store retailer, J.C. Penney, will close 40 stores across the country this year, the company announced this week.

But the Sarasota Square Mall and Desoto Square Mall stores will remain open, said Bob Parker, general manager of the Sarasota Square JC Penney.

“Two stores closed in Florida last year as a part of an early review. Stores in the rest of the country is going through that now,” Parker said. “Both stores in our market are performing well. Stores are closing based on their performance and how old they are.”

Stores are closing in Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, but not Florida, according to list issued by the company.

The announcement comes just a day after the Plano, Texas-based retailer, which has struggled with its business model, said that for the nine-week period in November and December, comparable store sales rose 3.7 percent compared with the same 2013 period.

“I talked to the store manager at JC Penney and he told me that they are very committed to this location,” said Robert Tackett, general manager of the Desoto Square Mall. “He has not heard of any other stores in the area closing as well”

The company said it expects to report same-store sales in the fourth quarter at the high end of its projected 2 percent to 4 percent range.

J.C. Penney closed 33 stores a year ago, which included two in Florida at Lake Square Mall in Leesburg and GulfView Square Mall in Port Richey. The closures cut 2,000 jobs. The cuts were expected to save the company more than $65 million annually.

J.C. Penney operates about 1,060 stores across the country.

“The Desoto Square store is performing very well in Bradenton,” Parker said. “We’re seeing a boost in traffic since the Macy’s closed in the mall and a number of new shoppers from south of Bradenton, like Sarasota, who visit the store, likely because it’s close to the Mall at University Town Center.”

Wet Seal, a discount women’s apparel chain, also announced nationwide store closures this week. The company closed its Sarasota Square and Desoto Square stores in Southwest Florida.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

An auction to sell off Bradenton’s Desoto Square Mall is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

The 680,271-square-foot mall, anchored by J.C. Penney and Sears, is listed on the website auction.com with a starting bid of $9 million for the entire 73.5-acre parcel.

Great Neck, New York-based Mason Asset Management bought the mall from Simon Property Group for $24.6 million in 2012. Despite its track record of turning struggling centers into prosperous ones, Mason has invested very little in the property.

Sarasota Square Mall will open at midnight Thanksgiving night, although several stores inside plan to open earlier. Macy’s, JC Penney, Express, Charlotte Russe, Aeropostale, Toys R Us, and Journeys will open at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Southgate Mall won’t open until 8 a.m. on Black Friday. Mall anchors Saks Fifth Avenue and Dillard’s will hold out until 8 a.m. too. White House Black Market, Banana Republic, and Victoria’s Secret will open at 6 a.m. , before the mall and at 7 a.m., Talbots, Ann Taylor, LOFT, and Cache will open. Gap and Macy’s will open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

DeSoto Square Mall in Bradenton will be closed Thanksgiving Day and will open at midnight Thanksgiving night. Macy’s, JC Penney and Sears department stores will still open on Thanksgiving Day.

The Port Charlotte Town Center will open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The first 150 guests on Thanksgiving Day will receive mall “survival kits” filled with snacks, water, coupons and other items.

***

Costco Wholesale and BJ’s Wholesale continue to go against the grain. Costco won’t open until 10 a.m. on Black Friday and BJ’s opens at 7 a.m. on Friday.

RadioShack stores will open at 8 a.m. on Black Friday.

Nordstrom Rack, which opened earlier this month in the Shoppes at University Town Center on University Parkway, will open at 8 a.m. on Black Friday.

The locally owned New Balance shoe stores in Sarasota and University Park, Fleet Feet Sports in Sarasota and Molly’s! Boutique stores will open at 7 a.m. on Black Friday. Owners will offer early morning shoppers at Fleet Feet Sports a complimentary waffle breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

***

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

Kohl’s stores join the ranks of Macy’s and JC Penney and open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day this year.

Stores will be open for 28 hours straight beginning Thanksgiving night with Black Friday doorbuster deals beginning just after families finish their holiday meals together.

“Shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend has become a much-anticipated tradition enjoyed with friends and family,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief customer officer, in a statement. “As many customers are eager to get a jumpstart on their shopping, we are opening our stores at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day as a convenience to our customers who want to make Kohl’s their first stop.”

Last year, Walmart, Target and Toys R Us began offering deals as early as 9 p.m. Other chains, like Kohls and Best Buy, held out until midnight.

In 2011 and 2012, Thanksgiving Day beat out Black Friday for the most bargains offered by retailers, according to DealsNews.com, a retail-tracking website that analyzed three years of coupons and discount data in its annual survey. Analysts expect the trend to accelerate for the 2013 holiday season.

Kohl’s has three stores in Southwest Florida: 3950 Central Sarasota Parkway in Sarasota; 5205 University Parkway in University Park; and 19600 Cochran Blvd., in Port Charlotte.

Photo by Elaine Litherland, Herald-Tribune staff.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

JC Penney is the latest retailer to announce it will begin offering Black Friday deals on the night of Thanksgiving.

Much like Macy’s, which announced last week it will be opening at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, JC Penney department stores will also open at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Last year, the struggling retailer opened at 6 a.m., missing much of the Black Friday rush that has crept into Thanksgiving Day for 9 p.m. and midnight doorbuster deal kick off times. In an effort to continue rebranding the retailer’s new image, JC Penney has jumped on the Thanksgiving Day shopping bandwagon.

Last year, Walmart, Target and Toys R Us began offering deals as early as 9 p.m. Other chains, like Kohls and Best Buy, held out until midnight.

In 2011 and 2012, Thanksgiving Day beat out Black Friday for the most bargains offered by retailers, according to DealsNews.com, a retail-tracking website that analyzed three years of coupons and discount data in its annual survey. Analysts expect the trend to accelerate for the 2013 holiday season.

JC Penney has stores in the Westfield Sarasota Square Mall and the Desoto Square Mall in Bradenton.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays

JC Penney stores in Southwest Florida have remained unaffected by the retailer’s mass layoffs this week, reported local managers.

The company has laid off about 2,200 employees at 100 stores and district offices across the country so far this month. But the staff at the JC Penney store at Sarasota Square Mall has not been affected, said general manager Bob Parker.

“What you’re seeing now is mostly aimed at the stores in larger markets,” Parker said. “The company is focusing on efficiency and is combining positions. One of those positions isn’t even filled right now at our store.”

A JC Penney store at the Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach announced it will close its doors for good this week, too. The company laid off all of its 125 employees. The retailer was the last standing company in the mall, which is to be demolished and reopened as an outlet center.

Photo courtesy JC Penney.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com.